Starring:
Date: Jun 24, 2013
Summary:
Kirigakure ninja go to take care of the Kaguya proving to be a threat towards the wellbeing of the Okumo clan.
Poster's note: foul language filtered in obvious places.
"Blood and Bones - Spider's Den"
The tunnels within Kirigakure's Dark Cavern
The tension has risen. There's' been some talk of Okumo Meruin's meddling in the affairs of the Kaguya and their current state of upheaval. His honorary place within the clan not enough to curb the displeasure of some, Kaguya have been reported within the Dark Caverns, harassing the Okumo, even going so far as to camp out before and threaten those whose nests they'd managed to find, and threatening them with the potential of deadly force.
It was unacceptable. Not only would Kirigakure not allow one clan to simply start trying to kill people within another that makes up it's citizenry, but Meruin himself would allow no harm to come to his people that he could prevent. Not at the hands of anyone. And so it would be that he was in the Dark caverns, on the hunt, a boiling in the blood hidden behind calm eyes.
The dark caverns held absolutely no light, so the people he'd brought with him to see the tunnels within he secured — Kaguya both — had to be traversed by sound, feel, and memory. It was this reason that the jounin had offered and extended a rope of harmless, if durable spider silk. A tether between he and his comrades for the trip.
Working without sight was something that Yoma was very used to, as well as traversing uneven terrain while stalking prey of all sorts. While he did have the tether, it was used for their team cohesion more than necessity as he would follow Meruin's lead on this one. While he was not Okumo, he would not allow for his own clan to act so recklessly as to beckon Kirigakure in to war against
all of the Kaguya over this. They had to be controlled… or they had to be gotten rid of. The world would not allow for the Kaguya to recklessly roam around fighting anyone they want any more. As a representative of Kirigakure, as well as a powerful member of the Kaguya clan, Yoma was here to lend support to the clan and villages Ally: the Okumo.
The darkness of the caverns stretching out before them was impossibly still, silent as the grave as they moved seamlessly through the shadows. She didn't want to be there. Yuuka didn't want to kill her own blood, her family, but they gave her no choice. The Okumo were being targeted just because Kiri shinobi were just doing their job. And her involvement now… was going to make things worse. The Swordsman has to keep her breath still on her lips while she moves, following the tether while her senses stretches out in front of her to detect anything, anyone.
Like the other Kaguya involved, Tsiro was acting as Kaguya control. A group of them decided to step out of line. He had already displayed one corpse in this altercation. He marked it with a simple "1". A single corpse is hardly a deterent, unless that corpse belonged to the absolute strongest. The other path was to rack up a pile of family members to prove that he would not allow
his own kin to step out of line.
Tsiro had been in the caverns before, but never really ventured deep into them. He keeps the tether gripped tightly in his hand. Though this had little to do with the Okumo, if told of this a few years before, Tsiro would have never believed he'd be helping them. Especially Meruin. Now it almost seemed natural.
Okumo Meruin consulted the map in his mind as he walked. It was one that'd been crafted since his younger years, a necessity as an Okumo living in the clan village, and it was one he still adds to in days more current. Behind them, there was the main cavern. The tunnel entrance through Kichiron's gate and a fourth of it's length. And currently, they were traveling along the platinum spoke, silence surrounding them in the darkness.
Meruin knew that ahead, they would have to travel through the rest of the length of the platinum spoke and descend a sheer cliff into the warrens. It was there that they would find any Kaguya that proved to be any true menace. But they would get to that. For now the group had to teal with whatever had made the loud scrape in the tunnel up ahead. The Okumo came to a stop, senses tuned, assuming that the others would do the same. He listened, attempting to identify the disturbance's source by sound and experience.
Using three other senses beyond sight, Yoma would take the time during the pause to get a true idea of what was going on around them. The droplets of mineralized water would be heard and felt lightly hitting the cavern floor and the stalagmites, all connected, all one thing. He would hear the scraping of metal against stone, and he would almost feel the grinding of the textured, grainy rock under the processed, hardened edge of the metal. His nostrils would flair wide, intaking much more air, but also clearing the way for his nose to pick up scents more easily. Blood. It was definitely the smell of blood. And there was also the stench of someone ahead lying low and to the left. The heat that was felt differed from that direction as well, the normally quite cool cavern would have a slightly different temperature in that direction, confirming his senses.
To Yuuka, he would simply speak directly through their shared link 'There is someone ahead… and we may be too late. I smell blood, and they may even be waiting in ambush to the left up ahead. If they have killed already… we cannot let them go without punishment.' He would urge her. To Meruin and Tsiro, just incase, he would raise a finger and allow a very small amount of lightning chakra to surge around it, giving off a dim glow of light that wouldn't be seen much further than a couple of feet. One finger was raised, and he would point eventually point it forward and to the left before his lightning dissipated.
The moment she feels it, seeing him as clear in her mind's eye as if she was actually seeing him ahead, Yuuka comes to a subtle stop, which pulls on the spider silk tether noticeably so. In the darkness it would be difficult to otherwise signal to the others that someone was ahead of them, that something was wrong, if it wasn't for that long scrape that that echoes off of the walls. They didn't even know who it was, but Yoma detected them as well. 'We do not even know who they are or what they want… maybe its just someone that thinks they are protecting their territory.' It could be anyone really. Yuuka didn't want to attack without regard. But she wasn't about to be caught off guard either. They had a weapon, and was fully prepared to attack them.
Tsiro stops at the sound of metal on stone. He heard some form of breathing up ahead that did not seem like one of the group. It was ragged by comparison. Then the electric glow of Yoma's finger comes up. It seems like he was alerting the group. Tsiro lets a few bones slide out of his hands as he prepares to beat someone to death. If this person was not attacking them, he would use it later on the Kaguya. 'Spindle this darkness' Tsiro thought to himself. It made it hard to see anything, let alone navigate the tunnels or find an opponent.
The team would feel the silken tethers about them shifting, the bindings writhing in a movement similar to a snake reorienting it's grip. They would each find that there was a greater length between the each of them. It allowed for better mobility, but it'd also require a little more consciousness of the distance between they and the next to prevent the silk rope from sliding along
the ground and giving away their positions.
As he'd adapted the tether, Yoma would feel the subtle tug of it tightening signifying Meruin's approach. And then his footsteps would begin sounding, a clear indication that he was present accopanying the sound of his voice stating, "I am Okumo Meruin. State your — " the sound of metal against stone rings again, "— name and reason for —"
"Run!" The voice belonged to a woman, and it was more of a vehement rasp than the shout she'd no doubt tried to make. "Get out," she continues, beginning to cough and wheeze. The sound of steel scraping along stone resounds once more and one can tell her position has shifted slightly. "It's… It's—" She can't manage her words through her coughing. A thump sounds, coughing continuing.
Yoma would listen to all of this, including the the way the metal sounded, the wounds of subtle movement, and eventually what sounded like collapse. With a slow exhale, Yoma would think to Yuuka: 'I suggest you take Tsiro ahead with you, I will hang back just incase this is a trap. It sounds to me like who ever it is has fallen and may need assistance.', offering himself as back up as they learned more about the situation.
Yuuka firms her jaw when she hears the voice of the woman, a coughing with what she could assume is her lungs filling with blood. "Tsiro. You are with me." she murmurs, a hand already slipping up to her shoulder to begin pulling out the length of her arm, the ivory sharpening itself as its pulled from her flesh. The increasing length of her tether gives her move room, though Yuuka makes note just how much she has so that the doesn't inadvertently yank one of her team members into a worse position. Her steps silent as she moves forward, keeping a careful eye on the swordsman as he rises to his feet.
Orders were orders. Tsiro moved behind Yuuka as she had stated. He heard the voice of a woman. The task at hand should not have been difficult for this amount of high level shinobi. However no one was completely sure what exactly was down there. If need be they could always double back and help out later. That is if the woman was still alive. If she died before then, then there would have been nothing they could have really done for her.
Meruin's footsteps stop as he nears the sound of the woman's hacking, leaving him standing over it in the pitch blackness as he feels the others. He kneels down before her, hand raising in the shadows as he listens to the woman's body wracking heaves. Now that he was closer, he could detect the scent of blood. Feel some of her heat. It seemed that she was injured, but one couldn't tell until it was too late, truly. As Yuuka stepped up the Okumo said, "I'm going to inspect her." Chitin covered his form, protection against any assault that may come.
And then a rattling chitter sounded from behind.
A beat. "Yuuka. Bone shield. Grab her. Everyone run, now." A fourth of a second to allow the other's to act, then he started dashing ahead with near full speed. It was his hope that Yoma would speed and catch up, and that Yuuka and Tsiro would follow along, that they'd do it before the tether pulled taught and he was forced to try and drag them along. And the reason that he hoped this would happen made itself known with a loud, resounding hiss with guttural undertones. The sounds of something scraping on stone and many clicking steps approaching says that it's hopes were likely completely opposite of the Okumo's.
Yoma was not far, he simply remained in the shadows, silently observing with the senses he could. He didn't want to tip their entire hand to any possible enemies or even people who misunderstood their presence. He would hear what sounded like a couple of large spiders traveling towards them as they moved with Meruin, but he could not confirm exactly what was going on.
Yuuka narrows her eyes at the darkness, if only for a fraction of a moment before Meruin makes a sharp command. Which means… that there was something to be legitimately concerned about. It was just after that that she senses it. A huge, overgrown spider with twice as many limbs as normal. "Kumo…" she swears under her breath. No time to think, only react. Yuuka throws the bone sword at the injured woman, though in midair it melts and the palpable ivory snaps onto her torso and the ends swing around, wrapping up the body and spreading into a large, protective cocoon. The injured woman is lifted into the air as she and Yuuka make a quick retreat.
Tsiro was still not exactly sure what was going on. There were the sounds of many foot steps hitting stone. They were moving fast. Then there was the hissing. This was going from ok to bad. Then from bad to worse. What was in these tunnels that would cause someone who lived here to order everyone to run? It had to be a giant fang spider. It just had to. Tsiro knew this deep down. Only the silk Okumo would keep a pet like that. As ordered, Tsiro takes off running in the dark. He tries to follow the silk chord he was given to keep up with Meruin. If anyone knew where they were going, it would be him.
Meruin breathe a mental sigh of relief as he isn't jerked backwards by the tether snapped, his teammates too slow or too obstinate to obey. But he hadn't been too worried, knowing whom he was with. Regardless, he was now speeding ahea — abruptly, an upraised stone from the tunnel floor caught his foot, sending him sprawling. With the pace that was being kept, his teammates overtook him nearly immediately. The feel of something slamming onto his chitin covered chest hit him, the scraping sound of something serrated sliding along it.
But then he vanished, reappearing back in the front, leaving behind the sound of an angry hiss. A matter of half a second saw the whole of those events take place. "If you fall," he spoke, "Get back up fast! Otherwise, we'll have to drag you or you might bring us all down. We're going to have to go through this tunnel quickly! Make sure there's enough distance to keep the rope nearly tight. You'll have to follow the tug of the tether or you won't know when to turn. Burst after every turn. I'm turning."
And he did, flickering to the right as the turn came to pull the tether on Yoma tight and in the correct direction. With any luck, the swordsman's reflexes were fine enough that he'd make the turn without issue, bringing the tug to Yuuka, who would turn to bring the same to Tsiro. Regardless of what happened, whatever it was that was behind — a few alrge spiders, a single many limbed one, or something else entirely — was more than ready to catch anyone who slowed down or stumbled.
Due to the pace they had to keep, Yoma would have slipped back in to the line up and began to sprint through the area. He would have bound off of the ledge that Meruin tripped up on, and continued his pace, trusting Meruin would not be stopped that easily. Once Meruin had moved to the front again and warned of the sharp turn, Yoma bound up, flipping and bouncing off of the ceiling, curling and crouching along the wall, running along it before rolling from the wall sharply to land on to his feet, not losing a single step in his run through the tunnels.
Yuuka turns her head just enough to catch the brief trip up, though Meruin wasn't on the ground even a moment when he suddenly blurs with much more speed. The corner of her lips tugs with a smirk, despite the circumstances. As they turn, the Swordsman easily makes the turn as well, tugging on the tether for Tsiro and keeping the ivory cocooned woman ahead of them while they run.
Tsiro manages to step onto the stone that tripped Meruin up. He had not even realized that Meruin fell. It was too web dark. As they move he easily makes the turns in the tunnel. He continues to follow behind Yuuka knowing that if anything happens, he's the first that might become a meal to whatever. "I hope those pedipalps like indigestion…" he mutters under his breath. He really did not realize that spiders drain their victims, not eat them whole.
The first turn went without a hitch. Relatively speaking. It gave Meruin hope that the rest of the travel through this tunnel would go along the same vein. Because the rest of this was far more intricate. "Sheer drop! Ceiling, wall, floor!" called out the Okumo to the backdrop of a hissing something in the dark. A breath and he leapt. His feet hit the ceiling, then the wall on the other side of the hole at the end of the tunnel, rebounding off of that to plummet nearly straight downwards. He landed before running once more, heading through another tunnel going in the same direction as the one above.
Given the directions, Yoma would make much the same movement as he did before to make the turn, except this time it was in order to properly proceed to the next area that was not simply a turn away. He would nearly mirror Meruin's movements, using the subtle tug of the teether as his guide as his senses would not be accustomed to moving for this reason so quickly without assessing it first. By the end of it, he would skid down the side of the wall as he didn't quite get through the hole completely before continuing on after Meruin.
Yuuka gasps hard as she jumps, right after Meruin and Yoma to follow directly in their wake, using the walls to rebound off of and land hard on the ground, her body moving with the tether perfectly. Though the way Yoma moves however she nearly runs into him. But there isn't a moment to think, only react as they take off running again for another tunnel.
Tsiro is moving along near perfectly due to the tether pulling of Yuuka. He was not use to taking directions in the dark then having to fulfill them by pull of a tether, but it was working. Once he hit the ground, he had to take a split second to reorient himself. It was the tiniest of hesitations before he was back moving after Yuuka. He was given a quick reminder of what was behind him when he heard it slam into a wall with a thump. The sound did not end there. The feet continued to scurry down after them.
"Back up!" shouted Meruin as he traveled through the unpiercable darkness. "Wall! You're going to have to use tree walking and rebound from the walls at the correct moments. Otherwise, you'll run into other tunnel entrances." Before even that, however, the Okumo tugged on the tether between himself and Yoma, moving the group to the sides. As they'd go by them, the kirigakure shinobi would hear the sound of something, pillars perhaps, being moved past at the high speeds, avoided by their
maneuvers.
And eventually, not too long truly, the Okumo leapt forward, his breathing growing audible. The motion tugged on the tether for Yoma, and he called out, "Wall!" as he began running vertically. Half a second of travel and he leapt to the other end up the stone chute, continuing up for another fourth of a second before jumping back onto the original wall, immediately leaping across once more
and continuing on.
And behind all of this ran the creature, hissing, spitting, and in pursuit.
Yoma would keep pace with Meruin well once more, leaping easily from wall to tunnel and back again. He'd make sure to signal Yuuka as he moved after Meruin's pace, trying to make sure they all stayed together. The pillars, the vertical incline, the leap to yet another wall were all done flawlessly and the pace was kept. Eventually however, the jump to the original wall would have his footing slip, his leg bending as his weight would almost drag him down in to the other tunnel entrance, however, he'd power through it with one leg and leap forward, springing ahead and regaining his ground as he continued on.
Yuuka holds her breath, quick bound from the wall with everyone else, following the tug of the tether. Trying to in any case, as she actually runs into one of the stone pillars and bounces off of it at a high speed. Pain echoes through her, concentration cut as the ivory cocoon begins falling. Gritting her teeth, Yuuka focuses her attention and pulls at the cocoon, though her slender weight
is pulled by Meruin and Yoma through the strong tether. The stumble threw her off, eventually making the last leap to land inside of the tunnel, though Yoma yanks her out. Hitting the wall that the others are own, she takes a sharp breath as she lifts her arms, reflexively defending herself through instinct.
Tsiro is running along and never sees the stone pillar coming. There is the sound of an impace and then… face first. *Smack* "$^#" comes out of the boys mouth as he continues on. He never felt the tug of the silk. The boy manages to evade the other pillars. He reaches the vertical shoot and realizes it a bit late, but his jump is still good enough to get him across. His feet felt the edge where the tunnel entrance was before the jump. Then there is a tug on the tether and Tsiro is pulled back. Knowing there was something behind him to attack, his bones lash out trying to protect himself. Despite this he manages to take a slash or two before falling down into the tunnel.
At this point he found it kind of shocking that any of his clan could have made it through here to the nests with whatever this was lurking there. Tsiro reaches out and places his hands against the wall, using the chakra to stick to it. Right now the boy could use a torch of some sorts. He'd much rather kill whatever it was than run. If only he could see it.
"Be prepared!" called out Meruin. He's heard the commotion of things not going perfectly according to plan, as well as felt a few erroneous tugs on the tether between him and Yoma, and he wasn't precisely certain on the situation. Still, up above, something other than darkness could be seen. A slight brightening. "There's a cavern up above. It has dim lighting. We're going to fight there. It
can eject acids." The not quite blackness up above grows brighter swiftly as the tethered group rises, leaving Tsiro behind, unbeknownst to the Okumo.
Soon enough, the Jounin reaches the top of the tunnel, leaping to the side, to land in a crouch, multiple eyes sprouting from his face as he prepared for battle. Once the others attached had exited the tunnel, the tether would snap to leave them all independent of one another once more, a few spiders falling from the line between the Okumo and Yoma.
Swiftly after their exit would come the screeching thing that had been following them. It was revealed to have been a single giant spider with 16 spider limbs. And it was wounded, a gash in the chitin of it's body, a pair of legs cut in half, and a few of it's many, many eyes gouged out. Examination of this chamber might answer why. There was another one here, smashed and eviscerated. Dead. And within the place were the corpses of the Kaguya that'd been threatening the Okumo with death.
Leaping in to the more open cavern with some light, Yoma would rotate around, landing in a wide legged crouch as his fists were dug in to the ground below. He now opened his eyes, having had them closed the entire way through as not to have anything distract his other senses in the darkness. They were blurry at first, but he was aware at least of the coming danger. As the screeching beast would come up after all of them, and after Yoma had witnessed the dead Kaguya and yet another similar beast, he would roar back at the beast powerfully and sweep in to a battle dance, shifting from foot to foot in sweeping motions as he backed up and grunted once heavily, preparing for it.
Yuuka's voices is unconsciously pulled from her lips as she manages to block only a few of the spider arms that stab at her, blood flowing freely. Shaking off the pain she pushes herself to join the others again, trying to keep her attention and focus on their surroundings so that she isn't caught off guard again. Breathing just a bit quicker, her blue green eyes snap upwards at the dim
amount of light than can be seen, becoming brighter as they swiftly making their way towards the growing light.
While the rest of the group doesn't know that Tsiro gets left behind, Yuuka is quickly made aware of it as that part of her tether is yanked. "Tsiro!" The tether is cut just after, and they are finally faced the the fill image of the giant spider. "We need to get him out of there…" In one swift motion she hands another bone out of her arm.
Tsiro was surprised the creature or creatures had not followed him down. He begins to climb the wall until he spots the light. He heard a roar followed by another roar. He was pretty sure one of those roars had to be Yoma. The guy was huge and very… caveman like. "No way the glory is going to be all yours bud." Tsiro states as he climbs through the opening. He manages to come up behind the creature. "Wow, your ugly even from the backside." he states as a bone blade protrudes from his hand. Tsiro vanishes from his spot and appears on the other side of the spider trying to cut off it's leg.
"There you are," says Meruin as Tsiro comes into sight, the spray of sizzling blood marking two of the spider's limbs being cut in half from the Kaguya's slicing. The Okumo watched as the creature let out a screech, stumbling to the side that those legs had previously supported. Soon enough, having other limbs, it managed a precarious balance, though immediately afterwards Meruin was there, his chest bursting in a spray of caustic webbing. "Don't let it bleed on you," he warned.
The webbing lashed against the creature's chitin, making a sizzling sound of it's own as the poisons vitriolic enough to call acids did their work on the creature. It let out a screech of pain and anger both before moving to swipe one of it's long limbs at the Okumo to bat him aside. But it hadn't forgotten of the others. A ball of dark fluid shoots out towards each of the Kaguya, acids
bursting and burning on impact.
Yoma had kept himself mobile and thus was ready for the attack that came, at least almost. Part of his arm would have been splashed after the acid would have missed him as he leapt in to the air. It did burn, and it did cause his arm to twitch at first, but Yoma would still wield hid weapon as he rose high in to the air. While he had heard Tsiro's comment, and was glad to see he had caught up and gotten right to business, Yoma was focused. Both Tsiro and Yuuka had already been struck by this thing. And Kaguya had already died fighting it. It was time to put it down. "We need to limit it's movement!" Yoma would call out as he'd try to come down heavily on the monstrous spider with a full body hammer blow and a loud snarling grunt, but even if he missed his target, the ground would shake and crumble as the shock wave traveled through the area, some rocks falling from above around if not on the spider-monster.
"'Don't let it bleed on you'…" Yuuka mutters to herself. Easier said than done. It was already missing legs and eyes, it would be hard to avoid its acidic blood. Best to stun it first, limit its movement like Yoma said. Exhaling a short breath, the Swordsman twists the blade with her wrist before she spins hard and uses the momentum to throw the blade directly at the spider, willing the
ivory made of her bones to suddenly separate into a tangled mess of ivory. Tripping up even a few of its legs would give the others an opening they wouldn't otherwise have.
Tsiro was facing the group when he heard about the blood. "Why would you keep such a pet? What is wrong with your people? You don't see the Kaguya keeping a giant demonic bone dog to protect our village!" Tsiro yells as he turns around to see an acidic spit come towards him. His arms move together in front of him. Bones being to protrude outwards making a bone shield. The acid hits the shield and starts to burn through it. Tsiro tosses the shield on the ground before the acid eats completely through it. He vanishes once more trying to take out another leg. "Kill the mobility on it. Eventually it will run away or die!"
Meruin raises his arms as the leg swipe comes his way, raising the chitin covered things as a defense against harm. The mutated spider's limb hits him head on and it sends him skidding back a good distance. When he stopped, though, it seemed that he was completely unharmed, allowing him to focus fully on the fight. The plan, it seemed, was to try and kill the creatures mobility, and it was sound. So he vanished, speeding to the spider creature, lashing out with whips of caustically poisoned rope at it's legs, hoping to get through it's chitin with his own acids.
The abomination of a spider hissed it's defiance of Yoma's intent as the huge man leapt with his weapon in hand. It was a heavy blow to be sure, but by the time it landed, the spider creature had managed to swiftly scuttle out of it's range, even missing some of it's legs as it was. The shaking of the ground that resulted from it, however, disrupted it's already tenuous balance, causing it to be unable to fully avoid Yuuka's thrown blade and the entangling vines it became. The result was two of it's legs being bunched together by the bone tendrils, neatly bundled for Tsiro to tear through with his flickering blade strike.
The creature fell to it's side with last five legs on the bottom lashing out in it's pain and panic,
knocking a few small boulders aside as though they were nothing. But the screams that came from them and the dropping of the henge revealed them to be Kaguya still alive from the previous encounter. Those who'd hidden rather than fought to the end. But the spider creature paid them no heed as it's kicking managed to push it onto it's back, where it actually had a firmer stance due to
having more whole legs there. With these, it managed to avoid Meruin's strikes through the simple act of speeding towards Tsiro. It started on a rampage, looking to lift him up in it's crushing pincers and travel with him in it's journey to trample the others in the cavern.
Yoma would growl as he missed his target. The cowardly Kaguya were revealed and kicked about, exposing them as even more pathetic than they already were. As The monstrous spider would snap at Tsiro and begin to trample upon the rest of them, Yoma would order, "Attack it high! Concentrate on one spot in a coordinated attack. Leave the legs to me!" Having had recent experience with acidic blood dripping beasts, Yoma would build his strategy upon causing it to damage itself on top of what
ever damage they all do to it. His bones would erupt from his body as he pounded his chest and roared at the beast, "COME FORTH AND DIE!" he would challenge it, whirling his axe blade several times as his body naturally defended it self against the legs and he'd suddenly rotated rapidly, using the centrifugal force to keep his balance as he'd used the weight of the axe to drive it
towards the legs as they come at him and pass over him. Of course… he had to be careful of the blood himself, but he'd take the risk to provide an opening for everyone else.
Yuuka blurs with speed, avoiding the number of legs by several steps. Without loosing momentum both of her arms reach up over her shoulders, pulling out two swords simultaneously. While the others are attacking the giant spider head on, she prepares another wave of stuns. The corner of her lips tugs with a smirk as once more she turns herself midstep into a hard spin, releasing one sword, then the other just after.
Tsiro vanishes as the large spider tries to pick him up with it's pincer. He appears above the creature with a large drill like appendage hanging off his arm. "Lets find out what your brain looks like on the inside…" he states as he attempts to stab it in the center behind it's head. Hopefully the other two were able to keep it occupied long enough to allow the blow to take effect. He was
hoping to finally kill this thing. Afterwards he looks up at the fleeing Cagey. "Cowards."
Meruins's gaze shifted to the Kaguya sent flying from their henge for the brief moments the creature allowed between finding it's … back legs and rushing at the team. When it made it's way towards the Okumo, he vanished, reappearing over it with clasped hands. His intent was to land on the creature's acid riddled stomach, now it's back, and slam his fists through the chitin into the
innards of the creature before drudging up the acidic contents, hoping his own chitin would withstand the caustic nature for a while.
The arachnid abomination let out a hybrid between a hiss and a screech at Yoma as the beastly Kaguya shouted out a challenge to it, it's answer one of vehemence and the will to kill. And yet, when it came upon the giant of a man, the serrated edges of it's lashing limbs found bone and slid off of it, never finding the flesh or blood it desired from from the man. Instead, it's limbs began getting tangled by the swinging ropes of Kabutowari. The damage done was disruption far more than true hacking, though the chitin was chipped away in a small gashes in various limbs, and the upside down creature spurted searing blood with every knick. Somehow, though, none of the blood fell towards Yoma, whether from new or existing wounds, as though he were in a safe zone.
The creature gave a screeching roar, stumbling as two of the legs it were about to move were abruptly tangled up by Swordsman Yuuka, leaving it listing to the side. It's free legs began to flail. And then Tsiro landed on it's head, the bone drill formed over his arm piercing the creature's hide with too much ease, sinking into it but also, unfortunately, sending a backspray of it's acidic ichor up at the Kaguya. Meruin's fists would come up with a sizzling sound but unharmed, though it seemed a bit pointless after Tsiro's assault. The creature collapsed, to the side rather than on top of Yoma, it's body going through a myriad of the harmless, chittering convulsions that was it's death throes.
And from the side, the two wounded Kaguya watched.
Yoma's arm stopped smoking and sizzling, it had eatten away at his flesh quite a bit, but nothing he couldn't handle. It was just a bad burn. The beast had been slain. It took all of them to do it in short order, but it happened. And yoma… was not through. He would leap over towards the two watching Kaguya and let his axe and hammer drop between them. The heavy weight of them cracking and splitting the ground respectively as he eyed them. "You two, don't say a single word or I will pop your heads right off of your bodies. Look around you." He thumbed his chest. "Kaguya!" He pointed to Tsiro. "Kaguya!" He pointed to Yuuka, "Kaguya!" he then pointed to Meriun. "Honorary Kaguya!" He look at both of them with a near seething rage as he would gesture towards the corpse of the giant spider. "Death!" He would then eye them both as he stood tall and proud above them. "VICTORY! Neither of
you deserve the taste of it in my eyes. We should feed you to one of those pets. However… Bow, do not beg… before that woman behind me, and tell her you are ready to serve the Kaguya and Kirigakure, and she might just spare you."
Of course, Yuuka probably didn't need all of that for her to spare them. They were blood, family, and clansmen, but… Yoma wanted them to learn the lessons of humility. For them to have witnessed with their own eyes the power of cooperation, even with someone that wasn't purely Kaguya. To see what they could achieve together instead of what they could fail alone. ANd he wanted for them to give Yuuka the respect she earned in title and ability and understand /why/ she didn't just kill them or fight them immediately when they started to act like spoiled children who were bored one day. Now… he would step aside, and allow for Yuuka to handle this her way, and truly hope for the best.
Yuuka exhales a longer breath as the giant spider finally falls, dying a painful death after so many attacks. She lifts her eyes up at the remaining living Kaguya that had cowardly hidden themselves away, just as Yoma slams his weapons between them. And his prompt commands earns a small smirk as she shakes her snowy head to herself. "Why to clarify things, Yoma-san." Her concern though is more on the group, her gaze looking towards Meruin and Tsiro. "How is everyone? Is anyone missing any limbs?" It looks like Meruin is the only one that wasn't hurt, and Tsiro looked a little tired, but that's it. Good.
Her attention shifts back to the two Kaguya shinobi, quiet as she approaches them. Her eyes reflected the strength of a strong and proud Kaguya kunoichi, hinted with disgust to how they've behaved. "Meruin-kun…" she murmurs. "These worms are part of those that were intending to hunt down your clan. I offer you their lives to do so what you wish."
Tsiro remained in the spray of blood, even as it burned his flesh. He then snapped off the blade as it was lodged in the head. He then scans over towards the other two Kaguya who had remained. He heard Yoma's speech. He heard Yuuka's. As he walked away from the spider, his flesh was still burning. "Corpse them already. Leave their corpses to rot for the carrion. Make an example." His crimson eyes had no mercy. Not for their crime.
Meruin rode the spider's momentum as it careened onto it's side, lightly hopping off once it struck the ground, stepping away from the still dangerous thrashing of the limbs. "All well," was his response to Yuuka as he examined it with his misted eyes for a moment before turning away, walking to join the other Kaguya as Yoma begins shouting to the others. He watches dispassionately as his words bring an anger to their eyes, the same rage that led them into these caverns wherein all(?) of their comrades had died. Certainly enough that those who remained wouldn't be causing any more trouble here. And in the light of that situation, and their wounds, and the power of those before them, they obeyed. No words, but bows to Kaguya Yuuka, first one and then, after hesitation, the other.
Perhaps their lack of speech or remorse was what made Yuuka refuse them her forgiveness. Whatever the reason, the situation was one where the Okumo faced the Kaguya Elder and received her blessing to do with their lives what he would. After a moment, he nodded to the woman, silent as he stepped past her. But while he had no necessary words for her, he spoke to the pair who were now his, and his voice held terrible hints in it's depths, the mists of his eyes swirling more swiftly, blackness
beginning to overtake them.
"You stepped onto the battlefield when you entered the Okumo caverns," said the Okumo to the men as he approached. "You stepped… Into battle… Against -me-. My foes bleed and writhe and die in agony, and now one of you will do the same. And the other will live only to bear witness." The mists in his eyes had been nearly swallowed by the darkness now as he whispered, vehemently. "You knew I would come…" He reached out with still sizzling, a snarl finding his face. "You should have ran."
The Okumo gripped one Kaguya by the throat, the sound of flesh scorching resounding over the sound of the man's scream as the acid adorning Meruin's hands continues to do it's work. But this is the one he intended to let live, apparently, as he simply tossed the man aside, putting his weight into the throw to give it true distance. "Take your distance," snapped the Kirigakure Jounin at the his Kaguya teammates before vanishing.
Like a phantom, he'd vanish and reappear around the offending Kaguya, as though he were sifting in an out of reality about him. And the coward began coughing. Heaving, soon, worse than the woman found nearer the beginning of the tunnels. His skin reddened as he found his way onto his knees with his wracking coughs, then bleeding from open sores. Soon, his body tissue began turning black as it died from the invisible toxin he sprayed over the man, knowing it'd spread to endanger the others if
they hadn't heeded his warning.
The Kaguya troublemaker was coughing because his lungs were filling with his own blood, the toxin targeting and breaking apart the tissue of it. If allowed, the man would simply continue to have his flesh corrode until he drowned in his own blood, body dry but for sweat. But when Meruin stopped before the man, looking down at him as he began writhing in true agony, the Okumo said, "Some of my people have died, Kaguya coward. We had to send two plagues into the tunnels we travel between home and the village with. You have caused far too much trouble for so clean a death."
He leans down, grabbing the Kaguya by his clothing with one hand, lifting him up without any apparent effort despite his being a full grown and Kaguya adult. He held on despite the blood coughed onto his face. As he spoke, he was calm again, mists once more prevalent, slowly swirling. What was inside had only been hinted at. "I suppose you are not of the breed to know, despite your
heritage. But the battlefield is a dangerous place. It is not for the unprepared."
His other hand was raised, a blade of black chitin extending from it. It was shoved into the man's chest, between rib bones. "You knew I was coming," he repeated, head tilting as though the man dying before him were a curious thing. Abruptly, the chitin within his body burst, far more produced. It extended from his form in many piercing, gore ridden spikes, not entirely unlike how it would be if his own Shikotsumyaku were the color of the abyss. There was a sense of tension before the man's head was lifted, neck broken, his shoulders and hips dislocating, hanging loose as his body was destroyed from the inside. And then the black bones withdrew and the Okumo let the body drop.
"You should have ran," murmured Meruin as he turned around.
